Saturday, September 4th 2021
“Don’t know what he’s saying”
Mazepin poisons against “cheeky” Schumacher
Nikita Mazepin and Mick Schumacher drive in the same team in Formula 1, both are hardly competitive in the defeated Haas. So both duel each other. On, but also off the track. There is trouble again in Zandvoort.
From the FIA side, the incident has no consequences: Haas teammates Mick Schumacher and Nikita Mazepin hindered Aston Martin driver Sebastian Vettel on a fast lap in qualifying for the Dutch Grand Prix. After hearing the three pilots involved, the race stewards decided not to punish them. Also because, according to the official statement, Vettel interjected: “There were too many cars in the same place.”
Inside Haas, however, the air is still tough. Reason: Schumacher had overtaken his Russian team-mate in the warm-up lap – contrary to the internal agreement, as Mazepin claimed. “He didn’t have to overtake me because I was actually the first car in the team. I didn’t have to be overtaken, I was the first car in the team today. It was a clever way to pass me,” Mazepin ranted at Sky: ” Either you follow the rules or you don’t. “
“Seb is the last one I want to stand in the way”
Schumacher countered: “I don’t quite know what he’s talking about. There was no reason to make a drama out of it,” said the 22-year-old. “I asked the team if I could overtake him because my tires were cold and he always drives his outlap slower than me. I then got the okay and drove past.” He said that he “didn’t want to hinder his already hopelessly inferior teammate or make his life harder”, “only mine easier”. Schumacher believes that “we will discuss this with the team internally and that Günther [Steiner, Teamchef von Haas – Anm. d. Red.] will then also comment on it. But from my side, I don’t think we did anything wrong. “
Schumacher apologized to Vettel: “I saw him too late, which of course is not what I want to do. If I stand in the way, then that is not optimal. Seb is the last one I want to stand in the way. So I’m really sorry for him and his team. ” Vettel suffered, he couldn’t improve his time in Q1 and missed qualifying for the two qualifying rounds in 17th place, like Schumacher (19th) and Mazepin (20th).
“Won’t tolerate this”
Mazepin, on the other hand, added later in a virtual press round: “I don’t like people who are cheeky and who show their true nature in the battle for 19th place. As long as I drive in Formula 1, I won’t tolerate that.” And further: “When I overtook him in Imola in qualifying, he howled that it wasn’t possible. After that there was a clarification that we would hold the positions. Nevertheless, he already overtook me in Spielberg and now again.” During his lap, with Schumacher in the rearview mirror, he “asked on the radio what that was about. The answer: We’ll talk about it later. I wasn’t aware that the team had given him the green light.”
He’s still angry, especially at Schumacher: “I was angry because he overtook me even though he shouldn’t have done that and he also pushed me into Vettel’s path. Those were a few very stressful minutes for me . “
Team boss Günther Steiner tried to smooth things over: “There is no right or wrong. Both want to show that they are better than the other,” said the South Tyrolean. It is questionable whether that will be enough to smooth things over. Mazepin had announced a clarifying discussion with the opponent in his own team: “We will have a nice conversation – maybe not so nice from the other party’s point of view. But we should try to work as a team.”
Both drivers clash again and again, in June Schumacher had clarified his relationship with the Russian: “We do our thing. I think he does his thing,” said the rookie, who admitted at the time that he had lost a little trust in Mazepin. “That is true, “he said, while ex-driver Ralf Schumacher was clearer:” The two of them won’t go on vacation together. The only excuse I have is that Nikita is utterly overwhelmed. “Nikita Mazepin is the son of the main Haas sponsor.
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